AN EX-navy man from Preston is set to meet his old crew mates for the first time in 48 years - thanks to an appeal lodged in the Citizen.

Austin Lee, pictured, acted immediately when he saw a letter from Tom Boden in the Citizen on July 22, trying to find "Rosie" Lee, to attend a reunion.

Austin was dubbed Rosie by his friends thanks to the cockney rhyming slang for cup of tea - Rosie Lee.

He said: "I got Tom's address and managed to get his telephone number through Directory Enquiries.

"Since I spoke to him, I've had a letter from him and from other crew mates as well.

"One mentioned a pilot we picked up from the Mediterranean who's written a book about his experiences. "He's now an ex-captain of the US navy and he's coming over for the reunion in Torquay."

Austin served on board the HMS Cockade between 1949 and 1951 as a stoker mechanic, working in the engine and gear rooms.

He was in the navy for seven years and spent another five in the reserves.

Austin added: "I'm really looking forward to the reunion now - it's been almost 50 years. But as soon as I spoke to Tom, all of the old names came flooding back.

"It will be good to relive old times. You live with guys for three years on a ship and then come home, and you disperse onto other ships and don't see each other again.

"We spent two years in the far East on the Cockade and then went to Malta and the Mediterranean.

"I thought I might as well get as much time away from England as possible and see the world."

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